Mass incarceration is a public health crisis, especially in the United States, where the incarcerated population has ballooned to 2.3 million people in prisons and jails.

COVID-19 has amplified the crisis, underlining the urgent need to address the drivers of this era of mass incarceration. It has brought new attention the enormous health and social costs of the carceral system, amplified urgent calls for reform, and highlighted the need for greater support for people within the system and people transitioning out.

This Public Health Power Hour focussed on the causes and costs of mass incarceration from a public health angle, exposing listeners to first-hand experience of an advocate who experienced the COVID epidemic from within prison, and highlight paths forward.

Speakers include:

- Jon-Adrian Velazquez, Advocate, formerly incarcerated, wrongly convicted

- Lorenzo Jones, Co-founder and Co-executive Director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice

- Daliah Heller, Director of Drug Use Initiatives at Vital Strategies